Observation/Reflection #5 - How Do I Stop This Thing?
Observe how and when your teacher closes his or her lessons and/or activities. How does he or she end each class period? Is there a set routine? If so, describe it. Pay special attention to when you teacher begins to end the class. Does he or she return to the purpose or main idea of the lesson? Does he or she "set up" the homework or the next day's activity? Is the teacher still teaching when the bell rings or are students already poised to leave? Is there some "dead time" at the end of the class period? If so, how much? How do students react to your teacher's closing strategies? Remember that these questions are a guide and that you don't have to answer each one. Be sure you reflect on your observations and describe how you will try to end your classes. What supports for these ideas might you include in your lesson plans?
Observation:
This week I observed my middle school cooperating teacher. I opened the classes by reviewing what the students had learned prior to this class, and how it fits in with what they will be learning in today's class. The students had a "mobile class" in which they performed a web quest about the earth's atmosphere. I continued to guide and assist the students throughout their quest. This activity took longer than was expected, so my CT had to sign the computers out for the students to finish up this activity the following day. In most classes she attempted to explain to the students that they will finish this quest up in the first ten minutes of tomorrow's class, and then move on to notes on the Earth's atmosphere. Some classes she ran out of time to wrap up at the end of class, but she had at least explained this at some point while the kids were working of their web quest. In this particular class, there was not an opportunity for me to observe my CT closing up the lesson. This day's activities were changed at the last minute and they took a lot longer than she had expected them to. She did try to explain to the students that they will revisit this activity in the beginning of class the following day and then move into some notes on the topic. During most of the classes, she told the students to wrap up and put their computers away about five minutes prior to the end of class. A few classes had a couple minutes of dead time, in which they waited by the door to run out when the bell rang.
Reflection.
I honestly cannot remember how this particular teacher ends her lessons each class, and this class was not a very good example of closing strategies. She did try to line up the next day's activities and explain that this activity was a foundation that will help them to learn the next lesson. She was particularly busy and preoccupied with other things, that I honestly think that she didn't realize the end of class was coming when it did. She did not expect the students to take as long as they did on this activity. Despite this, I think it did help that she made a point to show how this activity will fit into their lesson sequence. I would have liked to see her return to the purpose of this lesson and wrap up what the students learned in that day. In my own lessons, I would plan to stop my lesson or activities in enough time to give about five minutes for a closing. I would ask the students to tell me what they learned in today's class, and bring it back to the main idea of the lesson. After making those connections, I would then give a brief overview of where we are headed and how today's lesson builds a foundation for future lessons. I am also fond of the opening and closing "tickets". I have seen them done in a few classes before and even had a class myself where this was done. The opening ticket asks a question from previous lessons for the students to answer, It is used to get the students thinking about the class and an informal assessment to what the students remember. The closing ticket could as the students what they learned in that class, and give them an opportunity to say what they didn't understand. However, if I utilized these strategies, I would still want to connect the lesson to the main idea and to future lesson. In my lesson plans I can include questions that I want to ask my students and answer them myself. I need to be able to know the connections and applications of the lesson before I can convey it to my students. I would write down all the ways this lesson will provide a foundation, and where this lesson can be used in the future. I think it is important for the teacher to think about all of these things before they can effectively prompt their students to. It is also good to anticipate responses that the students may give.
Observation/Reflection #5 - How Do I Stop This Thing?
Observe how and when your teacher closes his or her lessons and/or activities. How does he or she end each class period? Is there a set routine? If so, describe it. Pay special attention to when you teacher begins to end the class. Does he or she return to the purpose or main idea of the lesson? Does he or she "set up" the homework or the next day's activity? Is the teacher still teaching when the bell rings or are students already poised to leave? Is there some "dead time" at the end of the class period? If so, how much? How do students react to your teacher's closing strategies? Remember that these questions are a guide and that you don't have to answer each one. Be sure you reflect on your observations and describe how you will try to end your classes. What supports for these ideas might you include in your lesson plans?Observation:
This week I observed my middle school cooperating teacher. I opened the classes by reviewing what the students had learned prior to this class, and how it fits in with what they will be learning in today's class. The students had a "mobile class" in which they performed a web quest about the earth's atmosphere. I continued to guide and assist the students throughout their quest. This activity took longer than was expected, so my CT had to sign the computers out for the students to finish up this activity the following day. In most classes she attempted to explain to the students that they will finish this quest up in the first ten minutes of tomorrow's class, and then move on to notes on the Earth's atmosphere. Some classes she ran out of time to wrap up at the end of class, but she had at least explained this at some point while the kids were working of their web quest. In this particular class, there was not an opportunity for me to observe my CT closing up the lesson. This day's activities were changed at the last minute and they took a lot longer than she had expected them to. She did try to explain to the students that they will revisit this activity in the beginning of class the following day and then move into some notes on the topic. During most of the classes, she told the students to wrap up and put their computers away about five minutes prior to the end of class. A few classes had a couple minutes of dead time, in which they waited by the door to run out when the bell rang.
Reflection.
I honestly cannot remember how this particular teacher ends her lessons each class, and this class was not a very good example of closing strategies. She did try to line up the next day's activities and explain that this activity was a foundation that will help them to learn the next lesson. She was particularly busy and preoccupied with other things, that I honestly think that she didn't realize the end of class was coming when it did. She did not expect the students to take as long as they did on this activity. Despite this, I think it did help that she made a point to show how this activity will fit into their lesson sequence. I would have liked to see her return to the purpose of this lesson and wrap up what the students learned in that day. In my own lessons, I would plan to stop my lesson or activities in enough time to give about five minutes for a closing. I would ask the students to tell me what they learned in today's class, and bring it back to the main idea of the lesson. After making those connections, I would then give a brief overview of where we are headed and how today's lesson builds a foundation for future lessons. I am also fond of the opening and closing "tickets". I have seen them done in a few classes before and even had a class myself where this was done. The opening ticket asks a question from previous lessons for the students to answer, It is used to get the students thinking about the class and an informal assessment to what the students remember. The closing ticket could as the students what they learned in that class, and give them an opportunity to say what they didn't understand. However, if I utilized these strategies, I would still want to connect the lesson to the main idea and to future lesson. In my lesson plans I can include questions that I want to ask my students and answer them myself. I need to be able to know the connections and applications of the lesson before I can convey it to my students. I would write down all the ways this lesson will provide a foundation, and where this lesson can be used in the future. I think it is important for the teacher to think about all of these things before they can effectively prompt their students to. It is also good to anticipate responses that the students may give.